Sparda

Sparda is the demon responsible for defeating Mundus two thousand years ago, and is the father of Dante and Vergil.

Physical Characteristics


In his human form, Sparda was very similar to his sons. His hair was swept back, and he is always portrayed as wearing a monocle and purple jacket. In his true form, Sparda was a human sized demon, with cloven hooves, a semi-reptilian hide, a pair of sweeping horns, two pairs of insectoid wings and one pair of chiropteran/bat wings. His entire body appears to be made of grey armor with accents and overtones of tyrian purple, and features ornamental decorations, such as gold trim along his "crown," a vertical red gem in his forehead, as well as gold knee and elbow guards. It is unknown if these are part of an external armor or whether they are natural features of his anatomy.

Pre-Games
Sparda was once one of Mundus' Devil Knights, and apparently took part in the invasion of the human world. At some point however, he suffered a change of heart and switched sides, fighting to protect the humans. He defeated Mundus' demon armies, before moving onto the Prince Of Darkness himself. Sparda defeated Mundus, and sent him and his armies back to the demon realm. In order to close the gateway, Sparda used his own blood, along with the blood of a human priestess, in conjunction with his sword and a mystical amulet. Pouring his demonic energy into the sword allowed him to close the door between realms, however this also robbed him of the lion's share of his abilities. Sparda could still access his powers when he used the amulet but only for a brief time. Sparda's activities over the next two thousand years are shrouded in legend, however it is understood that for a time, directly after defeating Mundus, he ruled over the humans before eventually vanishing. Devil May Cry 4 raises an interesting plot element, as it would seem that Sparda sacrificed his powers only to seal off the full functions of the Temen-ni-gru, as according to the Order of the Sword and by Dante's admission, Sparda sealed the true hell gate by using Yamato. He showed up again in the twentieth century where he met and fell in love with a human woman named Eva. He fathered the twins and for a brief time lived with his family, before he again disappeared. Many believe he died, although in DMC2 Dante hints he may have passed into another realm. Though Sparda likely did die because in DMC1 during the intro a narrator voice told a story of Sparda (As the words are rising up you see Sparda in the background in his devil form displaying his skill with his sword and in a fiery background) and said that he "continued to preserve harmony until his death, and how he became a legend, the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda.

Devil May Cry 3
Arkham uses the Sons of Sparda to open the gate to the Netherworld, in order to obtain the Force Edge and thus the powers of Sparda. While he is able to use it to temporarily take on Sparda's form, he is unable to truly resonate with it and soon mutates into a hideous demonic blob.

Devil May Cry
Sparda is referenced frequently throughout the game. At the start of the battle with Mundus, Dante finally awakens the true powers of Sparda's sword, and assumes Sparda's form as a new Devil Trigger. In this form, Dante can fly, shoot fireballs from his fists, and summon a spectral dragon. While fighting on the ground during the second part of the boss battle, Dante can also charge the fireballs, and the range of his sword is greatly extended.

Anime
It is revealed that Sparda once had two apprentices, twin brothers Baal and Asmodeus

Devil May Cry 4
The Order of the Sword is a group of demon hunters that worship Sparda. Nero, the main protagonist of Devil May Cry 4 is also blood linked to Sparda, and referenced multiple times in Sparda's likeness in power and appearance.

Devil May Cry 2
Dante mentions Sparda once crossed into the demon world and returned. It is also revealed Sparda once fought against Argosax and Bolverk.

Powers and Abilities
The exact extent of Sparda's powers remains unknown, however it is generally believed he was much stronger than his sons, with powers that surpassed even the "Prince Of Darkness" himself. In Devil May Cry 3: Dante's Awakening, Arkham connected the absorption of Sparda's power to reaching the pinnacle of demonic power and essentially becoming a God. It has been claimed that Dante's powers are on par, if not greater than, Sparda's own.

Weapons
Sparda used the Yamato, and also sealed his power into the Force Edge, his own trademark weapon. It is said that he also used the Luce & Ombra.

Trivia
In the Devil May Cry 3 manga, the Seven Sins state that Sparda was once very rebellious, and that Dante's attitude resembles Sparda.

In Devil May Cry and Devil May Cry 3, Dante can obtain the "Legendary Dark Knight" costume by clearing Hard mode. In Devil May Cry, this seems to actually be Sparda himself, as Dante's Alastor and Ebony & Ivory are replaced with Sparda's Yamato and Luce & Ombra. His Devil Trigger and shadow are that of Sparda's devil form, no matter the equipped Devil Arm, though his abilities still depend on that Devil Arm.

In Devil May Cry 3, Dante's "DMC1 Dante" and "Coatless DMC1 Dante" costumes assume the form of Sparda while in Devil Trigger, possibly reference to how Dante, in the end of DMC1, takes the Sparda (Force Edge) and uses Sparda's devil trigger to defeat Mundus.